Testimonials
TestimonialsTESTIMONIALS
“For all practical purposes, Guanaja seems to be virgin territory—at least for bonefish and permit. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Guanaja, one of the most beautiful and secluded fishing spots in this hemisphere.”
–President Jimmy Carter, Athens, Georgia
“We enjoyed the most delicious gourmet eals I’ve ever had on a fishing trip.”
–President Jimmy Carter, Athens, Georgia
“Fly-fishing in Guanaja is saltwater flyfishing at it’s best. Steve is a great host, expert guide and very personable. The accommodations are comfortable with great scenery. Fishing is exciting with bonefish, permit, tarpon, and cuda. Food is delicious! I have been there for past three years and cannot wait to go back in 2011!!”
–Dr. Clay Williams, New Orleans, Lousiana
“Want to catch a bone fish on your first day? Cast to the elusive permit? or jump a ‘silver king’ pushing 100 pounds. Guanaja has all the opportunities. The local family of native guides will take you to the fish each day and bring you home at sunset to cocktails and an amazing dinner. The island home is surrounded by bonefish, hundreds of them! If you want the be the only angler on the flats for miles, and have only a 2.5 hour flight from the states, Guanaja is the destination. I cannot say enough, other than I’ll be back in the spring. Watch out permit, I’m comming to get you!”
–Matt Debus, Vail, Colorado
Here’s a blog entry from one of our recent visitors!
Here are some tips and tricks from another of our recent visitors, Jon Nelson -
So, you’re going to Guanaja, Honduras on your first bone fishing trip. You have chosen Fly Fish Guanaja. You made a great choice! I did the same thing. My main purpose for the trip was to be with some good friends and chill. Catching a bonefish was a secondary goal, if a goal at all. Do I consider myself a fly fisherman? Yes! An experienced fly fisherman? To a degree! A fly fisherman experienced enough to take on a permit fish? Hell no! When I arrived at the island I thought you had to ask permission or pay a permit fee to fish for permits. Little did I know that they are of the Pompano family and have been given the name permit through years of poor language translation. While you are in Guanaja, if anyone fishes for permits, you will understand why they are such a prized fish.
I will try to keep this short, but I wanted to give you a little background information. If you are somewhat inexperienced in bone or permit fishing, perhaps I can save you a few days of learning the hard way. The key words here are preparation, practice and execution.
Bring a # 9 fly rod. One is enough If you want a backup outfit, I would suggest a #8. If buying new gear, make sure the reel you purchase is compatible with the rod.. Problem # 1: Because I had purchased a new # 8 and #9 rod with compatible reels and because I bought “introductory” Sage and Orvis outfits, I discovered the hard way that the cost of a salt water reel is pretty much dictated by the cost of the drag system in the reel. Whereas my fresh water gear has a drag that operates whether the reel handle is released or held, if the handle of the less expensive salt water reel is held, the drag will not allow line to leave the spool. A bonefish will always run after it is hooked and will break the leader and or tippet if line is not allowed to escape the reel via the drag system. This learning experience resulted in two lost fish. When you hook a bonefish, have the drag set properly and get your hand away from the reel handle. If the drag is properly set, the fish will run out the line and get into the backing before tiring. After it quits running you can then return you hand to the reel handle and start to control the fish, but if it runs again, let go again.
Make sure the line on your reel is an innocuous color. Any bright color is bad. Stay away from greens, blues or oranges. Bonefish spook quite easily when they see a ling zinging next to them. A medium gray or semi-transparent line seems to work best. Remember, the water is crystal clear and, when they do not have their head down feeding, their vision is excellent. If their head is down, their tails and dorsal fin are up, you may get away with brightly colored lines, but eliminating them will give you a much better fishing experience.
If you want to bring some flies with you, concentrate on crabs. Approximately 80% of a bone fish diet consists of crabs. They will take other flies, like the Clouser Minnow, Mantis Shrimp, etc., but in the long run you cannot miss with crabs. Any crab pattern will probably work, but check with the fly shop or a reference book to make sure the patterns are indigenous to the area of Guanaja, Honduras.
Wading shoes. I made the mistake of bringing side zipped-soft sided wading ankle boots. These boots lack a rigid sole and side protection. I didn’t think about this until my feet began to ache from stepping on sharp coral and other rocks as we pursued the bonefish across the flats. Additionally, I stepped on a large sea urchin on the way back to the boat one afternoon. Three of the spines penetrated the boot with one breaking off in the arch of my foot. This lead to using a hook as a needle and extracting the barb as it will continue to work its way deeper into your foot as you move. In addition, the darn things hurt. Be sure to purchase a good quality salt water wading boot with a fairly substantial sole and a side that will stand up to a sea urchin spine.
Insect repellent. When on land the sand fleas or “no-seeums” will usually work on your ankles, and other exposed flesh. I discovered that CVS pharmacy has a product called “Soft Shin Spray” that comes in a 2 ounce bottle. This is apparently a more concentrated copy of Avon’s “Skin So Soft”. It works great and you don’t need to run down a pink Cadillac to purchase it. You will find it in the insect repellant section of the pharmacy. It not only prevents bites, but alleviates the itch of existing ones.
Sunglasses. As you probably already know, don’t skimp on sunglasses. You can’t catch what you can’t see. Although I had a green pair of Polaroid’s, the dominant color for those who actually knew what they were doing was amber. If you are close to your eye exam time, go ahead and get a new prescription. You will need it.
Sun Block. I think a Nutrogena 70 Plus is an unbelievable agent to be worn at all times. Apply copious amounts to the back of your neck, the front of your neck and under your chin (reflected light) and in the other usual places. Reapply at lunch or as needed.
Practice your cast. What works on the San Miguel or the Green River just ain’t going to cut it on the coral flats. There is normally a strong wind and, because of the distance you must cast to reach the bonefish without spooking them, be sure to practice single and double haul casting. I can assure you that, if you catch a fish, you have done some pretty precise long distance casting in the process.
Setting the hook. The bonefish has a very soft bite. It is not really a strike, as you would experience with a trout or a bass. They feed along on the bottom until they come upon your fly or begin to chase it if you are doing a slow retrieve. When they “take” the fly, it feels more as though your fly has hung on the grass, rather than taken by a fish. When this happens, do a firm retrieve of 8 to 9 inches of line in much the same way as you would pull it through had it been hooked on grass. Then, let the line go and get away from the handle. The bonefish will take off like a bazooka. (See bring a #9 fly rod.)
Selecting a target fish if there is more than one. I noticed that the best bonefish to cast to is a fish coming toward you that has its tail up and is feeding along with a couple of his closest friends. I guess basic “bone fish greed” takes over and they are much less picky about taking the fly when they get to it. It’s kind of like putting down a bowl of dog food in front of three hungry dogs. Bonefish feeding alone are much more selective and bonefish that are “just cruising” are very hard to interest in a fly.
The first fish. Try to take your first fish in an area that has a fairly clean bottom and has a limited number of obstacles that the fish can wrap the line around. I arrived in Guanaja on Saturday and fished from Sunday on, landing my first bonefish Friday afternoon. Before that experience I had hooked 6 bonefish, but something went wrong each time. The last fish I hooked before landing a 3 pounder ran out all of the line to the backing and wrapped around an exposed rock. Nothing much you can do about that! Anyway, be patient, look, listen and pay attention to the guides. These guys have they eyes of a Bald Eagle.
Enjoy! If you are with Fly Fish Guanaja, you are with the best.
Jon Nelson
PS: I almost forgot. Bring a boat bag and a zippered bottle insulator sleeve, along with a waterproof camera case or zip-lock bag..
